Could Real Madrid Even Fit Erling Haaland Into a Crowded Attack?
When Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme claimed Erling Haaland would make the Bernabéu his new home this summer, the striker’s father Alfie and agent Rafaela Pimenta responded: “All very entertaining but not true.”
Riquelme went on to lose the election to Florentino Pérez, and any lingering chatter of Haaland potentially swapping out a sky blue shirt for a white one faded. Except like many times over the years, the Norway international would once again be linked with Real Madrid—and this time, the circumstances are much, much bigger than just typical rumors.
After a three-year investigation, Manchester City have been found guilty of breaching 115 Premier League financial regulations. The club will appeal the verdict, with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak insisting the club’s “innocence.”
But potential punishments, spanning from reprimands and fines to a points deduction and expulsion from the Premier League, loom large. Suddenly, Haaland’s place at the Etihad Stadium appears rather tenuous, kickstarting the familiar whispers of a Real Madrid transfer.
As tempting as signing another ‘Galactico’ would be for Real Madrid president Pérez, just how would Haaland fit into an already star-studded attack?
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Haaland Would Solve Many of Real Madrid’s Problems
Much has been made about Real Madrid’s need for a deep-lying playmaker—and rightfully so—but they also have desperately missed the presence of a natural No. 9. Even with Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham on the pitch, the team struggles to break down low blocks, especially in La Liga.
The 2026–27 season has been underway for just a little over a month and Los Blancos already were blanked by Real Betis, a team that in no way should have the quality to keep José Mourinho’s men off the scoresheet.
The 1–0 defeat was shades of last season, and the season before. Mbappé and Vinícius Jr too often occupy the same spaces down the left flank, leaving a glaring hole in the middle of the attack. When Mbappé isn’t trying to reprise his days as a winger, he’s standing at the edge of the penalty box, absolutely stationary.
Players are lobbing in crosses to an empty penalty area, because there is not a natural center forward making dangerous runs without the ball. Bellingham does what he can to compensate, but it’s certainly not a foolproof system—the team’s zero trophies in the last two years are proof enough.
The addition of Haaland would finally give Los Blancos a striker that plays as a true striker. And his presence would not be limited to substitute cameos like Carlos Espí and Endrick must accept.
Not to mention having a player who actually finishes off chances would be life-changing for a Real Madrid attack with the second-most big chances missed in La Liga this season. Plus, Haaland is reliable from the penalty spot, a source of problems for the club over the last two years.
His addition to Mourinho’s ranks would instantly elevate the 15-time European champions ... but Haaland doesn’t exactly fit.
The Vinícius Jr Conundrum
Inserting Haaland into Real Madrid’s front line displaces Mbappé from the No. 9 position. Mourinho could easily move the Frenchman to the left wing, much like Zinedine Zidane did in his first match in charge of France last week.
But then where does Vinícius Jr go? With his performances as of late, the winger is closer to getting benched than starting. Yet the Brazilian only just extended his contract with the club through 2032 this summer.
He’s not going anywhere.
So then does Vinícius Jr make the right wing his new home? It’s been a problem position over the last two years for Los Blancos, but the club signed Yan Diomande in a package worth up to a club-record €140 million ($158.7 million) to fix those woes.
Plus, Vinícius Jr is simply not good on the right, a lesson former boss Xabi Alonso learned when he started the No. 7 there in the team’s embarrassing 4–0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 Club World Cup semifinals.
Sure, Vinícius Jr and Mbappé could rotate on the left, but neither player would stand for that. It also wouldn’t make much sense given their astronomical salaries.
What About a Formation Shift?
If Real Madrid really somehow wanted to shove Haaland into their attack, they could adopt a 4-4-2, with the Man City striker and Mbappé leading the line. Vinícius Jr could play at left midfield, but then Bellingham is taken out of his favored No. 10 role.
If last season taught Real Madrid anything, it’s that Bellingham is at his best when he’s pulling the strings of the attack—and that’s when Real Madrid are at their best. Dropping both Bellingham and Vinícius Jr to subpar positions all to accommodate Haaland likely would just cause new problems for the team.
The reality is Haaland only truly fits into Los Blancos’ attack if Mbappé or Vinícius Jr leaves, or if one of them loses his place in the XI. The club proved three times in the last two years it will fire its manager before holding either player accountable, so it’s hard to envision such a scenario.
What’s not hard to envision, though, is Pérez ignoring all logic to simply sign the best No. 9 in the world, without any true care or consideration for how it will impact his club. Just look at how far the team has fallen after shoving Mbappé into its XI.
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